String Quartet No. 16 (Villa-Lobos)

String Quartet No. 16 is the final string quartet composed by Heitor Villa-Lobos. He composed it in 1955. The quartet, typical of Villa-Lobos' later chamber works, displays a more restrained and less overtly Brazilian style compared to his earlier quartets. While still incorporating elements of Brazilian folk music and rhythmic complexities, the overall texture and harmonic language tend towards a more neo-classical approach.

The work is structured in four movements: an opening movement typically in sonata form, a slower movement usually possessing a lyrical and contemplative character, a scherzo or scherzo-like movement, and a lively finale. Detailed analysis of the individual movements often reveals subtle references to Brazilian melodic patterns and rhythmic figures embedded within the broader Western classical structure. It is considered an important work in Villa-Lobos' chamber output and showcases his development as a composer who successfully integrated Brazilian and European musical traditions. Performances of the quartet are less frequent than some of Villa-Lobos' better-known works, but it is a significant contribution to the string quartet repertoire of the 20th century.